AMES, Iowa -- Gary Christensen, president and CEO of Pella Corp.,
Pella, will speak on "Competing in the Free Enterprise System" at 1:30 p.m.,
Friday, Oct. 18, Room 205 of Carver Hall at Iowa State University. The event
is free and open to the public.

Christensen is the fall semester Executive-in-Residence for the College of
Business. His lecture will explore Pella's vision on customer focus,
high-performance teamwork and business ethics. While on campus, Christensen
will meet with faculty, staff and students, and host an open forum for
graduate students.

Christensen was named the president and CEO of Pella Corp. in 1996. He
joined Pella Corp. in 1990 as a senior vice-president of marketing and sales
and has been on the Board of Directors since 1993. He also serves on the
board of directors for Hon Corp., Butler Manufacturing and Pella Regional
Health Center.

Pella Corp. was founded in 1925. It manufactures window and door products at
plants in Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Pella employs about
6,900 people, and has been named one of Fortune magazine's "100 Best
Companies To Work For" for three straight years.

The College of Business' Executive-in-Residence was created in 1985 to link
hands-on practice of business with the theory of business instruction and
research. Executives-in-Residence may teach undergraduate classes, conduct
graduate and undergraduate seminars, and present open forums to the
community.